US embassies in the Middle East are bracing for possible escalation after Trump said the US will hit Iran 'hard'.

Iran's Araghchi issues warning in separate phone calls with the foreign ministers of Turkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

Kuwait says it downed hostile drones, Iran targeted vital facilities

Irans power structure complicates efforts to enforce any ceasefire with the U.S., from the Supreme Leader to the Revolutionary Guards.

Iran will further tighten Hormuz if US naval blockade continues, top official says A top official of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) has warned that if the US continues with its naval blockade on Tehran's ports, it will furtherseal the Strait of Hormuz and block other strategic passages, according to IRNA

Araghchi says US actions main causes of regional insecurity Irans foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has told his Indian counterpart that the US violations of the Islamabad MoU and continued military action against Iran were the main causes of insecurity in the region and the Strait of Hormuz, IRNA reported

Kuwait says several vital facilities were targets of Iranian drones that its army detected and destroyed since dawn.

Washington has reached a strategic impasse with Iran, says a former analyst for the US Congress.

Trump threatens to hit Iran 'very hard' President Donald Trump has threatened to hit Iran "very hard," as US media reported he was considering renewed heavy attacks as soon as this weekend, including against energy infrastructure targets

US Centcom says 30 commerical vessels redirected during Iran blockade US Central Command (Centcom)said it has redirected 30 commercial vessels, disabled 2, and boarded 2 to ensure full compliance as of today

US says Strait of Hormuz remains open The US military says the Iranian governments claim that the Strait of Hormuz is closed is false

ExxonMobil and Chevron on Friday reported second-quarter profits that surged on rising oil prices due to the Iran war.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Thursday denied a Reuters report alleging that Beijing sold weapons to Iran.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia said in a note on Friday that stronger oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz had eased market concerns after U.S.-Iran strikes earlier this week.

U.S. PresidentDonald Trumpcalled on Congress toadd tariffs on Iran to asanctions billagainst Russia and Tehran that has bipartisan support

Iran has continued its attacks on Gulf states, in what it calls retaliation for US strikes on Thursday.

Iran's army said it launched attacks on strategic U.S

US reconsidering its footprint in Kuwait: Report The US is rethinking its ties and footprint in Kuwait following the war on Iran,The Wall Street Journal reported citing American officials

The military confrontation between the United States and Iran continues to intensify, with both sides launching retaliatory strikes and the conflict showing signs of expanding across multiple fronts in the Middle East.

Residents gathered in the northwestern Iranian for the funeral of IRGC members killed in what Iran says was a US strike.

Iranian army claims strikes on US facilities in Kuwait The Iranian army said it carried out attacks against "strategic US centres" in Kuwait using drones, in response to an American strike on a residential home in Qeshm that killed several family members

Anger in Iraq after US-Saudi strikes on paramilitary group with ties to Tehran.

Trump said he'd "like to see tariffs on Iran" added to a bill that would impose economic sanctions on Russia and those supporting its war against Ukraine.

The unclaimed attack comes as Iran, its Houthi alllies in Yemen and Iraqi militias have widened strikes on energy infrastructure across the region.

No group has claimed responsibility, the Egyptian cabinet said, adding that authorities were taking measures to protect Egypt's national security.

President Donald Trump has promised a "golden age" for agriculture, but farmers in Iowa and elsewhere are struggling with tariffs and the Iran war.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened further escalation on Thursday after a wave of retaliatory U.S

The bumper result comes as energy majors receive a profit boost from soaring fossil fuel prices amid the Iran war.

Video from Iran's Qeshm Island shows widespread damage following US attacks.

US forces launch new strikes on Iran as conflict widens

U.S. forces hit Iran late Wednesday stateside, after Trump's threat to give Tehran a "beating."

Morning update Good morning Middle East Eye readers, US attacks on Iran escalated overnight, following president Donald Trump's remarks on Wednesday that Washington would hit Iran "very hard"

"Countries involved in aiding the aggressor will receive a harsh response if they do not correct their behaviour," the statement read. The IRGC also doubled down on Iran's control over the Strait of Hormuz, saying: "The Strait of Hormuz is our land, and the IRGC Navy sailors have full control over it, and a stranger who has come from thousands of kilometres away will not be allowed to interfere." It added that the strategic waterway will not be opened for "as long as the American authorities' exaggerations and threats and their interference in maritime movements in the region continue".

Reports of blasts at base in Jordan, as army says five Iranian missiles downed Explosions were reportedly heard at Jordan's Muwaffaq Salti Air Base

US strike on family home in Iran's Qeshm kills three, including toddler A US strike ona residential house in Qeshm, located in Iran's Hormozgan, killed three members of a family and injured two others

The US has bombed multiple cities across southern Iran in what Central Command described as a heavy wave of strikes.

US munition stockpile could impact operations in Iran, senior army leader tells Trump The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of StaffDan Caine told US President Donald Trump that the situation regarding munitions stockpile could impact military operations in Iran, AP reported citing a US official

US strike kills three in Iran's Qeshm

The United States launched new strikes against Iran and Iran-backed groups on Wednesday, as Washington and Tehran continued a cycle of military escalation that has heightened fears of a broader regional conflict.

Iranian media report that a couple and their two-year-old child were killed in the latest US attacks on Qeshm island.

Trump met with Saudi defence minister after joint strikes on Iraq: Report US President Donald Trump met with Saudi Arabia's Defense Minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman, on Wednesday for urgent discussions following the two countries' joint strikes on Iraq, Axios reported citing an American official. According to news website, the source said the purpose of the meeting was to deliver a message fromCrown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about the ongoing war on Iran alongside the situation in the region

Centcom says two hour-long wave of strikes against Iran 'successfully completed' The US Central Command claimed attacks on dozens of targets in Iran,including military command centres, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance and defence sites, and maritime capabilities

More explosions reported in Iran, two children wounded by US strike in Qeshm Island Furtherblasts were heard in parts of the southern Iranian city of Ahvaz, in Khuzestan province

Watch: Trump says Iran would be hit 'very hard' US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday the US would hit Iran "very hard" after an attack on the US military in Jordan

Blasts rock southern Iran Several explosions were reported south of Iranafter the US said it carried attacks across the country, including in Bushehr province,Qeshm Island,Abadan,Kish Island and Bandar Abbas.

Centcom says US begins attacks on Iran The US Central Command announced that US forces began carrying out attacks at 8pm eastern time (12am GMT) against Iran

US forces launch new strikes against Iran, central command says

Report: US conducting strikes in Iran The US army is reportedly conducting air strikes and attacking targets in Iran, according to Axios citing a senior American official

Its our turn. President Donald Trump says the US will hit Iran very hard following an attack on US forces in Jordan

US and Saudi forces launched coordinated airstrikes targeting Iran-backed Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) bases

Trump says will hit Iran hard after attack, was briefed on Egypt tankers US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday the US would hitIranvery hard after an attack on the US military in Jordan

New US sanctions target Iran's Hormuz income The United States on Wednesday announced new sanctions targeting entities linked toIran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that it accused of extorting ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz

Oil prices were on the rise again Wednesday on news a brief ceasefire in fighting between the United States and Iran was shattered by renewed missile attacks.

US and Saudi Arabia kill at least 20 in strikes on 'Iran-backed' militias in Iraq, as Iran targets US base in Jordan.

Iraq's prime minister orders urgent security meeting after US-Saudi strikes Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaydicalled foran urgent security meeting on Wednesday following joint US-Saudi attacks on the country. Earlier, the US Central Command (Centcom) said it conducted "precision strikes" alongside Saudi Arabian Armed Forces against Iran-aligned groups.

Oil rose sharply amid renewed tensions in the Middle East after Iran launched an attack on U.S

Iran has also struck three ships in the Strait of Hormuz and rejected Omans proposal on managing the waterway.

Centcom warns Iran and 'terrorist proxies' to halt attacks to avoid US strikes The USCentral Command (Centcom) said it conducted "precision strikes" alongsideSaudi Arabian Armed Forces againstIran-aligned groups

The US military said Tuesday it intercepted multiple ballistic missiles launched from Iran in what it described as an attempted "surprise attack" on American forces in the Middle East.

Netanyahu calls meeting with Trump at White House 'excellent' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that he had an excellent meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House. Netanyahu also said that they discussed a full partnership, mutual support, and a shared understanding of our common objective to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons

The US military says it has successfully intercepted a barrage of missiles fired by Iran at its troops in Jordan.

The source did not indicate what the source of the blast was or any other immediate details. The PMF is a government umbrella organisation that oversees various paramilitary groups, including those close to Iran.

Centcom in a post on X said that the attack originated from Iran, but all missiles were intercepted.

IRGC claims attacks on US facilities in Jordan The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement that it targeted aUS air base and Central Command Centre in Jordan usingballistic missiles. "As long as the threats against the Islamic Republic of Iran continue and the illegal and evil actions of the American forces against our interests continue, the resistance will continue," the IRGC said in a statement carried by IRNA

US President Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday in their first in-person talks since the United States and Israel launched joint military operations against Iran on February 28.

Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, has assured him that Ukraine's Saturday attack on an Iranian commercial ship was "unintentional" and that Ukraine "does not seek escalation."

Saudi Arabia denounces attacks targeting oil facilities Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry condemned the continued launch of attacks by what it called "Iran-backed militias in Iraq" that targeted the kingdom's oil facilities in the Eastern Province

Attacks come as Saudi Arabia intercepts drones and Iran warns of 'any action' to maintain its control of Hormuz.